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VOLUME 75, EDITION 21
The
GL BE SERVING CAMP LEJEUNE AND SURROUNDING AREAS SINCE 1944
Marines
M Marines train with Bermuda Regiment at Engineer Point| 6A Reg gi
complete lifesaving first responder training| 4A THURSDAY MAY 23, 2013
WWW.LEJEUNE.MARINES.MIL WWW LEJEUNE MA MARI RIN RI NES MILL NES NE
Marines’ annual gunnery training PFC. JOSE MENDEZ JR. 2nd Marine Division
Photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting
Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division inspect each other’s gear and prepare to jump from a KC-130 and perform static-line jumps during a training exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune May 10.
2nd Recon makes big splash during training LANCE CPL. SCOTT WHITING 2nd Marine Division
Marines and sailors with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion sit anxiously inside an airborne Lockheed Martin KC-130 airplane. Suddenly, they are instructed to rise and inspect each other’s parachutes and protective equipment. A signal is given, and they leap from the aircraft, falling through the air until their parachutes deploy, and they slowly descend into the water below. Second Recon Bn. practiced various jumping operations May 8 and 9, with a culminating training event taking place May 10, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The Marines and sailors were split into two groups. One group traveled by bus to Marine Corps Air Station New River to board the KC-130, where they were then broken down into five parachuting groups. The other group waited off the coast of Onslow Beach in boats to retrieve the jumping Marines. “The entire week was focused on amphibious insertion techniques,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jason Elson, the battalion’s parachute safety officer. “On (May 10), we basically put everything together into one operation.” A Zodiac inflatable boat was loaded into the plane, along with approximately two
dozen Marines. When they reached about 4,500 feet of elevation, the plane tilted up and the boat slid out into the water. The first group of jumpers executed static-line jumps to quickly reach the boat and attach the motor. The next three groups performed staticline jumps as well, and then were collected by the safety boats below. The KC-130 then flew to 10,000 feet, and the last group of Marines executed a free-fall jump into the water. “The goal of the training is to prepare the platoons for a (Marine Expeditionary Force) deployment, and to familiarize them with amphibious operations when intentionally jumping in the water,” said Elson. “It also serves as refresher training for unintentional water landings.” Elson spoke highly of the group’s execution during the training. “We were able to safely drop 75 parachutists with no malfunctions,” he said. “That will help build confidence for the deploying units if they need to execute a water insertion.” The support-intensive training couldn’t happen without everyone involved doing their job correctly. “Safety is paramount,” said Elson. “With all the things that could go wrong, everyone needs to be on top of their game in order to
Photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting
Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, free-fall jump from a KC-130 during a training exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune May 10. make the training go as smoothly as possible. We were able to achieve that during this training.”
Headquarters, Service Marines go back to basics LANCE CPL. SULLIVAN LARAMIE 2nd Marine Logistics Group
Hot lead poured out of cold steel and sent sparks flying into the air as it pierced through the armor of rusted, aging military vehicles. Marines with Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, participated in a field training exercise, or FEX, May 7 through 10. Approximately 70 Marines with the company trained for patrols, firefights and improvised explosive device detection. “(Headquarters and Service Company) is mostly made up of supply and maintenance Marines,” said Staff Sgt. Jose D. Gonzalez, the company’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense chief. “(We) rarely get to (use basic Marine skills) because we mostly just do (administration) jobs during field exercises.” Approximately 20 Marines from the company were chosen to train with .50-caliber M2 machine guns, which they plan to use in future deployments. Three Marines with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division taught the Headquarters and Service Company Marines the basics of firing the machine guns.
The M2s are belt-fed and capable of firing 485 to 635 armorpiercing rounds per minute and can hit targets up to 6,800 meters away with a tracer every five rounds to provide accurate fire at night. The machine guns also have the ability to fire in a single-shot mode, which allows the weapons to be used as sniper rifles. “When I came out here, I didn’t expect you to know a lot about the (M2s),” said Sgt. Robert H. Villanueva III, a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, as he spoke to the Marines with Headquarters and Service Company. “You actually overly impressed me. You can hop on (an M2) and put rounds downrange in any combat scenario.” The field exercise challenged the Marines with situations many had not experienced before. Every Marine completed the IED detection course, but some of the servicemembers conducted the training at night. The Marines searched for explosives with only their eyes as they traveled along a path. By using visual detection instead of relying on equipment such as metal detectors, the service members had to remain vigilant. “Everyone worked really well together and did their parts, even
when our leader was hit,” said Cpl. Adam T. Peeler, an automotive maintenance technician with the company. “The nighttime course was pretty tough, but the difference between night and day was really interesting. One of the problems with night is the natural instinct to be close to each other, which can be dangerous around IEDs.” The company received a higher degree of training than it would during a battalion FEX, said Gonzalez. Marines trained with different squad formations to refamiliarize them with some of the tactical knowledge they learned
in Marine Combat Training, and used the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System to practice engaging hostile forces. The MILES system uses a combination of blank ammunition and a laser system to simulate bullets. Each Marine is equipped with laser receivers, which emit a loud noise when struck by the laser. “To get a better understanding, you just need more time in the field,” said Peeler. “If you get comfortable in your (military occupational specialty), you forget the basics. That’s why we need field exercises.”
Photo by Lance Cpl. Sullivan Laramie
Marines with Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, receive instructions on a .50-caliber M2 machine gun during a field exercise held by the company aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune May 9.
Thirty-two Marines with first platoon, Company B, Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division conducted a three-day annual gunnery training May 10 through 13. As part of the training, Marines crossed New River with amphibious assault vehicles in preparation for live-fire shoots at the designated training range. Marines fired automatic .50caliber machine guns as well as Mark 19 Model 3 grenade launchers with 40mm grenade training rounds. Amphibious assault vehicles provide Marines with the sea to land element by bringing Marines and gear ashore from ships as well as providing combat support in operations. In order to make sure the mission of the AAVs can be accomplished this type of training is crucial for the AA Bn. “This training is making us deployment ready. It’s testing our capabilities with shooting our weapons,” said Cpl. Carlos Cruz, an AAV maintenance chief with Bravo Company. “It’s good training. It refreshes you on all the basics that you need to know,” said Cpl. Michael Pearson, a crew chief with Company B. Each Marine had a chance to use the weapons, so it allowed all of the Marines to get used to the weapon systems, said Pearson. Proper operation of the amtraks is also a goal of the training and a skill the Marines should remember, said Cruz. Throughout all of the training the Marines of AA Bn still look forward to firing the weapons. “Live-fire is the money maker, it’s the part that gets your blood pumping,” said Pearson.
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